


Midway

by NerdsbianHokie



Series: The Code [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Carnival AU, F/F, Homophobia, high school aged au, there is one scene that gets intense involving a freak show setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 12:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13658748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/pseuds/NerdsbianHokie
Summary: adverb & adjective1. in or toward the middle of something.noun1. an area of sideshows, games of chance or skill, or other amusements at a fair or exhibition.





	Midway

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea kinda circled around my mind a bit, then on Saturday I sat down and started to type and didn't stop til almost 4am Sunday, when it was finished.
> 
> It's set in the same au as [this](http://nerdsbianhokie.tumblr.com/post/170219658768/the-code-lucys-fingers-squeezed-the-metal-she-was) mood board I did on tumblr. While the au does have Director Sanvers as an endgame, Lucy isn't in this fic, so it's just Sanvers.
> 
> Well, sorta sanvers, build up to sanvers? whatever.

“And, your fried oreos.”

Maggie took the box from the girl in the booth. The girl smiled at her before moving on to the next customer. Maggie plucked at the wax paper lining the box as the stepped away. She pulled one of the dough balls from within. She looked up at the ferris wheel as she took a bite.

It stood stark against the orange sky. The lights flashed and blinked, grew more vibrant as the sky darkened.

She glancing at the booths on the other side of the walkway. She dropped her head at the sight of some boys from her class crowded around a shooting game.

It hadn’t necessarily been her idea to go to the fair.

It would be more accurate to say her aunt had made her go, to get her out of the house for the night.

Not that Maggie really needed a reason to not be in the house, she barely did much more than sleep there. Still, she would rather be almost anywhere else. It felt like the entire town was there, and probably a good portion of Wymore.

She could only imagine how empty the town was, how much peace she could get there.

But, her aunt had dropped her off, said she would be back in a few hours, and the fair was set up in a field a few miles outside of town, practically all the way to Holmesville.

So, suck up and deal. Maybe try to enjoy herself.

She pulled another fried oreo from the box.

“And what about you, miss?” a voice called from a booth. “You don’t need any real height to get the hoops.”

Maggie turned, eyed the man in front of a basketball game. He was bald, and wearing a button up shirt that looked about two sizes too big.

“Just three bucks for three chances,” he continued. “And each hoop you make, gets you a better prize.”

He gestured to the wall of prizes on the side of the booth, going from stuffed animals that would fit in her palm to ones almost as big as she was.

On the second row, there was a teddy bear in what looked like a leather jacket.

“Ahh,” the carny said. “Just two hoops gets you that.”

Maggie shook her head, took a small step back.

“It’s easy,” he pressed. He picked up a ball, and arched it perfectly into the basket. “See, anyone can do it.” He threw another ball. It dropped easily through the hoop. “And, for you, I’ll even knock the price down to four chances for three bucks.”

Maggie glanced at the bear. She slipped her hand into her pocket, curled her fingers around the ten dollar bill she had left. She nodded, stepping closer.

“Alright.”

She pulled the ten out, handed it over. She took time time he spent getting her change to make sure her fried oreos wouldn’t fall off of the counter between her and the carny. He handed her her change, then passed her a ball.

She eyed the hoops, adjusted her feet, and took the shot.

The ball bounced off the back of the rim and into the net below.

The carny hissed. “Uff, tough luck.” He handed her the second ball.

Maggie licked her lips, the sweetness from the fried dough sticking to her tongue. She narrowed her eyes.

She hadn’t made the school basketball team her freshman year, but the coach had given her tips on what to work on to compensate for her height.

She hadn’t bothered to try out the last season, hadn’t wanted to deal with the girls on the team, but she still remembered the tips he had given her.

Her second shot circled the rim before tipping out.

“Two left,” the carny said, holding the first ball out again.

“You’re in the wrong part of the fair, Rodas.”

Maggie tensed. A hand clamped down on her shoulder as someone pressed against her side. She was pulled tight into Daniel’s side.

“The freak show is in the back.”

His group of friends laughed, drowning out the music of the carnival.

“Although, I’m not surprised to find you at this booth. Dykes and sports go together, right?”

Maggie tried to pull out of his grip, but he just dug his fingers deeper into her shoulder. She glanced at the carny.

His eyes were narrow, his jaw clenched. After a moment, however, he relaxed.

“How about you all let the lady finish the game? Then we see how well you do, no charge,” he said.

Daniel scoffed. “Please, everyone knows these games are rigged.”

“Are you sure? Or are you just scared of losing?”

Daniel’s friends laughed and called out. Maggie could feel Daniel tense.

“Like hell I would lose,” he said.

“Prove it.”

There were a few tense seconds, then Daniel pulled his arm off of Maggie’s shoulder. He shoved her towards the booth.

“Fine. Go ahead, Rodas.”

The carny winked at her as he passed her the ball. Maggie furrowed her brow, but turned to the hoop.

She closed her eyes, did her best to ignore the jeering of the boys surrounding her. She opened her eyes, and shot the ball.

It sunk cleanly through the hoop.

Sirens and clanging sounded from the booth.

The boys went silent.

The carny grinned.

“One more chance. You make this and you get a second tier prize.”

He passed her the ball.

Maggie took a deep breath. She shifted her weight.

And was shoved from behind right as she took the shot.

She caught herself on the edge of the booth just as the sirens went off again.

“And it looks like you get a second tier prize,” the carny said, grinning at her. He turned to the boys, his grin growing.

Maggie blinked. His teeth looked sharp.

“Now, it’s your turn, I believe.”

Daniel scoffed and shoved Maggie to the side.

“If she can do it, I can do it.”

He snatched the ball from the carny, then missed one, two, three, four shots.

Maggie hid her smirk behind her hand.

Daniel got angrier and angrier with each missed shot, until he stepped as close as he could to the carny.

“You’re cheating.”

“How?” the carny asked.

“The game is rigged. You must have told her how to beat it.”

“Even if the game was rigged, why would I tell her how to beat it? When would I have told her?”

Daniel pressed against the front of the booth.

“You cheated me.”

“I did nothing of the sort.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes, then stepped back with a grin.

“You’re right.”

He shot a smirk at Maggie before stalking off.

Maggie stared after them, watching them vanish into the crowd.

“Your prize.”

She jumped, then turned to the carny. He was holding out the bear she had eyed earlier. She took it.

“Thank you.”

He nodded.

Maggie grabbed her fried oreos, and set off the opposite direction Daniel had vanished down. She hugged the bear tight to her.

She wandered aimlessly. The sun had fully set. The spaces the lights from the booths and rides didn’t reach were avoided by all foot traffic.

Maggie stepped through the shadows without care.

Before long, she was facing the large tent in the back.

It was an old fashioned circus tent. In the low light, she could only just make out the red and purple stripes up the sides. Canvas posters boasting a snake man, and a rubber boy, and a weightless girl were roped to posts in the path leading to the front.

It must be the freak show Daniel had mentioned.

No other carnival she had been to had one.

The whole thing gave her a very  _ Cirque du Freak  _ vibe.

At least she could be pretty sure there were no vampires inside.

She threw out the empty box of fried oreos before joining the people waiting for the next show.

A boy not much older than her moved through the crowd, asking everyone for a donation. He took Maggie’s five with a smile, then moved back to the front, to the entrance to the tent.

He didn’t blink the entire time she watched him.

He smirked at her as she passed through the tent flap he was holding open.

Dim candles hung high was the only light to guide the crowd as they shuffled through. Maggie dragged her hand along the coarse fabric making up the wall. A little boy in front of her slowed with each step.

“This way! This way!”

The voice was young, clear, and accented in a way Maggie couldn’t place.

The crowd stopped. It spread out into an arch.

Maggie made her way to the side, finding a gap to see through.

A girl stood between the crowd and another closed tent flap.

She was young, maybe eleven or twelve. Her hair was long and blond. Her dress was pure white.

She practically glowed.

“Through this way, you will be astonished with sights beyond your dreams,” the girl said. “Be aware, they are not for the weak willed or weak hearted. This is your last chance to leave before the show.”

The boy Maggie had been behind tugged on his mother’s arm. She picked him up, but didn’t make any move to leave.

The girl said something in a language Maggie couldn’t even begin to place and pulled the flap back.

The crowd slowly moved through.

Maggie hung to the back of the crowd. She watched the girl.

There was some sort of sigil on her dress that Maggie couldn’t quite make out. She was wearing what looked like a pair of weighted bands around her wrists.

She looked at Maggie and smiled.

It was different than any other smile Maggie had gotten since her aunt had dropped her off.

There was no hint of a smirk, nothing hidden behind it.

It wasn’t the forced smile of a worker forced to smile because it was their job.

It was genuine, full of joy and excitement.

Maggie smiled back before going through the opening. The flap closed behind her.

A hush settled over the crowd. The only noise was the cries of the boy in his mother's arms.

Something pulled Maggie's attention upwards.

The room was tall, candles spiraling up the sides.

The top candle went out.

Maggie squinted.

The next candle went out.

Maggie's heart pounded in her ears.

The next candle went out.

Others in the crowd started to notice.

The next candle went out.

They directed their friends attention upwards.

The next candle went out.

Maggie grabbed for the flap behind her, only to find taut fabric.

The next candle went out.

The boy’s cries grew louder.

The next candle went out.

Maggie fought for breath as the room grew darker.

The rest of the candles went out at once.

Before people's screams fades, flames burst through the room, pulling even more screams.

Maggie moved along the fabric to see a woman standing on a barrel in front of them.

And holding a ball of fire.

The woman brought the fire to her face and it shot out at them.

Maggie pressed back against the fabric. The person in front of her pressed against her. She slid out from behind them. They fell against the fabric.

The woman shot a stream of fire straight up.

Maggie stared at it with wide eyes.

The fire climbed up to the top of the tent, curling and billowing, and filling the area with heat.

The woman angled the fire, and one by one the candles flickered back on. It curled back to just a ball in her hand. She flourished her arms out, bowing slightly.

Maggie clapped with the rest of the crowd. Her heart raced.

A hand reached from behind the woman, scooping through the fireball as a man appeared. He walked around her, taking some fire with him.

He held it to his face.

The crowd gasped.

He had no eyes.

The fire flickered.

His face flicked.

Maggie’s couldn’t blink, watching the man’s face morph and ebb in the fire. She couldn’t breath as he grew more and more grotesque.

Part of the wall behind the two lifted away.

New light flooded into the area.

He looked like a normal man.

Two eyes, one nose, one mouth.

The woman hopped off the barrel. She threw the fire she was holding at the man, who easily caught it.

He stood in front of the crowd, holding the fire in both hands for a moment before pulling his hands apart.

The fire spread into an arch, licking and clawing at the air.

“Follow me,” the man said.

His voice grated against Maggie’s ear. A whisper and yet clearly audible.

He led them into the new area, instructed them to stand along the wall, behind some tape on the ground.

After telling them to not step out of the box until they were instructed, he turned.

The fire spread.

It lit up the area as it attached to candles and lamps and torches.

In the center of the area was a small pool.

With something dripping into it.

Maggie followed the drips.

She swallowed.

There was something at the top of the tent - the very top, they must have been in the center most area - but the light didn’t reach that far. All she could make out was the reflection of movement.

And the movement was falling.

The candle light flickered and crystled and flew.

Colors filled the tent, then vanished, then reappeared.

There was no splash, no noise, as whatever had jumped landed in the pool.

The light faded, centered on the pool.

Hands wrapped around the edge, too long and pointed to be human.

A head started to appear. Hairless and misshapen and reflecting the light more than any human should. Eyes opened.

The lights all flashed.

The eyes glowed.

The crowd screamed.

The light came back.

The tank and the creature inside were gone.

In its place was a small stage.

The girl in the white dress and the boy from the front entrance were standing on it. The girl waved at them all before picking the boy, easily twice her size, up. He grabbed some rings that were hanging from the top, then was lifted into the air.

He did some acrobatics, a few flips and turns, then started to contort his body.

Maggie looked away, her arms tingling uncomfortably at the sight. She watched the girl instead.

The girl was staring up at the boy, not looking away once.

Then the boy fell into her arms. She caught him easily, and set him on his feet.

The crowd applauded. The girl and boy bowed.

The girl took off one of the wrist bands as the boy took off the other one. She handed him the one she took off.

And she started to lift off of the ground.

She didn’t stop until she was upside down, the hand the boy was holding the closest part of her body to the ground.

Maggie narrowed her eyes. She scrutinized the air above the girl, looking for the flash of wires.

There was no way.

Panic crossed the boys face.

The boy and girl both started crying out. She reached down with her other hand, but her arm moved slowly.

Her hand slipped out of his.

She shot up, hitting the top of the tent with an audible thud. The entire tent shook.

The boy stared up at her, then looked around, eyes wide.

He dashed towards the crowd, sending gasps rippling through them. He veered to the side at the last moment, stopping at a wooden beam going up the side of the tent.

“Don’t worry, everyone,” he said. His voice was like molasses, thick and sweet. “I’ve got it under control.”

And he climbed.

He scurried up the beam, going almost upside down at the top. He passed the light threshold.

Maggie squinted, trying to see anything that was going on.

Unease spread through the crowd. Soft murmurs passed from person to person.

The boy and girl reappeared, floating down from the top. As they got lower, Maggie could see the boy clinging to the girls back, could see the bands back around her wrists.

Relief took the crowd, and when the kids landed, and the boy climbed off of the girl’s back, everyone broke into applause.

The girl stepped forward.

“Thank you everyone. We hope you enjoyed the show. The exit is to the side, and, if you please, enjoy the rest of your visit.”

As she spoke, light filled the tent from the side, where a flap had been opened not far from where Maggie stood.

The girl said something in the same language from the beginning of the show, then the crowd started to move.

Maggie ended up in the center of the crowd, herded along until she managed to break free outside the tent.

She looked back at the closed tent.

That had been...something, alright.

She started down the path that lead back around to the carnival. It was dimly lit by lanterns every ten feet or so.

The rest of the crowd hurried off, but Maggie took her time.

It was quiet, peaceful back there.

She was in the darkest part between two lanterns when a hand latched onto her arm and pulled her into the trees that lined the path. The bear she had won fell from her hands. Her yelp was cut off by a hand over her mouth.

“Stay quiet, and maybe we won’t hurt you.”

Maggie froze at Daniel’s voice.

She was pulled far enough that she couldn’t see the path, then was shoved against a tree.

Daniel held her still with an arm across her chest. She tried to push him off, but her arms were grabbed by two of his friends.

“So,” he drawled. “You’re working with carnies now to try and embarrass me?”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know how brains like yours work. All I know, is that you and that carny scammed me.”

“A scam would imply you lost money.”

He leaned heavily on her.

“You made sure I would lose to you.”

Maggie spat in his face.

He jerked back, wiping the spit off. He laughed, then swung.

Maggie’s head snapped back as his fist hit her face. It cracked against the tree they had her against.

He was pressed against her again a moment later.

“You fucking bitch. You’ll pay for that.”

Maggie swallowed. She stared at him in silence.

“Who is out here?”

Daniel froze. He clamped a hand over Maggie’s mouth.

“Make a single noise and you’re dead,” he whispered.

Maggie stared past his head, into the trees behind him. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Daniel let out a low chuckle. He pressed closer to her, whispering in her ear.

“Now you’re getting it. Now you’re scared. Good. You should be afraid of me.”

“Hey!”

He pulled back, looked to the side.

Maggie could just make out the new comer without turning her head.

The girl from the show, in her white dress, holding Maggie’s bear.

“Move along, kid,” Daniel said.

“What are you doing?” the girl asked.

“Just having a little chat with our friend.”

“It does not look like a little chat.”

Daniel sighed.

“Listen, kid. This doesn’t involve you, so why don’t you-”

He cut off as someone tackled him from the side. They wrestled for a few moments before Daniel was pinned by a girl with long brown hair.

“You and your friends are gonna go. You’re gonna leave our carnival, and not come back,” she girl said. “Do you understand?”

“Why should we do that?” Daniel asked.

“Because I already have the owner of the carnival heading this way,” the girl said. “And if he catches you here-” she let out a laugh- “oh, he’ll do so much worse.”

Maggie couldn’t see Daniel’s face, just the girl’s back. She looked to the younger girl, who was watching her. She seemed to glow in the dark woods as much as she had in the darkness of the tent.

“Tick, tock,” the girl pinning Daniel sang. “He should be here any moment.”

“Fine,” Daniel spat. “Let me up.”

“Send your goons off first,” the girl countered.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t trust you.”

There were a few moments of silence, then Daniel huffed.

“Go on, guys, I’ll catch up.”

The grips on Maggie’s arms squeezed for a moment, then released. Maggie hugged herself as the boys ran off.

“Now will you let me up?” Daniel asked.

The girl looked over her shoulder at Maggie.

Maggie nodded.

The girl climbed off of him. She kicked some dirt at him as he stood.

“Now go. Get out of here.”

Daniel glared at Maggie before running off.

Maggie sighed. She stepped away from the tree, and stared down at the ground.

“You okay?”

She looked up.

Oh.

It was the girl Maggie had bought the fried oreos from.

Maggie nodded. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

The girl shrugged.

“Thank Kara.” She jerked her head towards the girl in white. “She realized something was going on and called me over.”

Maggie looked at Kara.

“Thank you.”

Kara stepped up to her. She held the bear out.

She was still wearing the wrist bands.

“You are welcome.”

Maggie took the bear. She hugged it close.

“You’re, uh, you’re bleeding,” the brunette said, gesturing at Maggie’s face.

Maggie raised a hand to her face, pressing beneath her nose, where she could feel liquid dripping. She pulled her hand back to see the tips of two fingers red.

“Oh.”

“If you want, you can come back to our trailer, and we can help you clean up,” the girl offered.

“Isn’t the owner on his way here?”

“Oh, that was lie.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes at the girl, then laughed lightly. She looked between the two of them, then glanced over the way Daniel had run off.

He could be waiting for her again.

“Yeah, alright.”

She followed them through the trees, away from the carnival.

“I’m Alex, by the way,” the brunette said.

“Maggie.”

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but considering the circumstances…” Alex trailed off. She rubbed the back of her neck. “How were the oreos?”

Maggie shrugged. “They were good.”

“Just good?” Kara asked. “Fried oreos are amazing. You probably should not have gotten them from Alex, she leaves them in the oil too long.”

“I do not,” Alex protested.

“You leave them in longer than Vanessa.”

“We cook them the same length of time. They’re on a timer.”

“But Vanessa takes them out right before the timer goes off. You take them out after the timer goes off  _ and  _ after you turn the beep off.”

“It’s like, a two second difference.”

“But an important difference.”

Alex sighed and rolled her eyes. She glanced at Maggie and smiled.

“A very important difference,” Maggie said.

Alex looked offended for a moment, before smiling again.

They stepped out of the trees to another field full of trailers and RVs and tents. A few people lingered around, sitting in lawn chairs around radios, or standing at grills. A man ran past them, rushing into the woods.

“So, until all of this, how’d you like the carnival?” Alex asked.

Kara practically bounced with each step. She watched Maggie with a grin.

Maggie nodded. “It’s cool. You’ve got a decent selection of rides, and some good food.”

“What about the show?” Kara asked.

Maggie grinned at her. “It was good. Like, terrifying at times, and my mind is still trying to catch up to everything I saw, but it was amazing.”

Kara beamed.

“Told you I would be good,” she said to Alex.

Alex rolled her eyes again.

“Was that your first show?” Maggie asked.

“Well, technically, the first show today was my first show.”

“But, still,” Maggie said. “That was great.”

“Don’t take it too far, her head is big enough as it is,” Alex cut in.

“You are just mad you have to keep selling fried dough,” Kara said.

“Sure, that’s it.”

They stopped at a trailer close to the center of the camp. There was a small sun box with potted plants outside one window, a wind chime hanging by the door, and a Superman welcome mat at the bottom of the metal steps.

“You two live here?” Maggie asked as she followed Kara inside.

Alex brought up the rear, propping the door open, but zipping a screen door shut. She vanished to the back of the trailer.

“Yup,” Kara said. She pulled a chair to the center of the room and gestured for Maggie to sit.

Maggie did, sitting the bear she started to refer to as Al in her lap.

“Do your parents work for the carnival?”

“J’onn takes care of us.”

“J’onn?”

“The owner.”

Alex stepped into Maggie’s view, carrying a small first aid kit.

“Our parents died a few years ago,” she said, pulling another chair forward. “J’onn took us in.”

“I’m sorry.”

Alex shrugged. She rifled through the kit, then glanced at Kara.

“Can you go get me a wet washcloth?”

She pulled a few things out of the kit, setting them in neat order on the table.

“What’s it like? Living with a carnival?”

“A lot of work. A lot of travel. J’onn constantly on us about getting our school work done.”

“School work?”

“We’re home schooled.”

Alex brushed some of Maggie’s hair back, out of her face.

Her fingers were gentle, her eyes wide and open.

“I don’t think your nose is broken,” she said. She lifted her hands. “Can I?”

Maggie nodded. Alex gently prodded at her nose. Maggie hissed, but didn’t move.

“Nope, not broken.”

“You deal with a lot of broken noses?”

Alex shrugged. “Every now and then.”

She glanced behind Maggie, then reached over to take the washcloth from Kara. She pressed it to Maggie’s nose. Her fingers lingered after Maggie had raised her own hand to hold the washcloth in place.

She jerked her hand away after a moment and started to reorganize the first aid kit.

Kara slid into a bench on one side of the table.

Maggie looked around. The table was covered in textbooks and open workbooks. A small TV with a game system sat in a shelving unit across from where Kara sat. There was a poster for a surfing contest up at the front, a picture with three figures in it taped to the corner.

“Where were you from originally?” she asked.

Alex looked at her. “California.”

Maggie gestured towards the poster. “You surf?”

Alex shrugged. “A little.”

She reached for the washcloth. Her fingers brushed against Maggie’s as she pulled it away.

“I think the bleeding has stopped.”

“That’s good.”

She picked up an ice pack, broke the inside to activate it, and handed it over.

“Here. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to avoid two black eyes.”

Maggie nodded, too pulled in by Alex’s eyes to reply. They were dark, practically black with the only light source behind Alex.

She lifted the ice pack to her nose.

“Were you with anyone?” Alex asked. “Probably should have asked sooner, sorry.”

Maggie shook her head, then quickly stopped at the pain it sent through her skull.

“Just me until my aunt picks me up.”

Alex hummed. There was a snap of the first aid kit being closed.

“Which town around here do you live in?” Kara asked.

“Does it matter? They’re all the same hellscape.”

Alex chuckled.

“This is about the most exciting thing to happen here all year,” Maggie said.

“We are very exciting,” Alex said.

Maggie’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

“That’s probably my aunt,” she said as she struggled to pull it out while holding the ice pack and balancing Al.

Alex gently took the pack from her. Maggie grabbed Al with her freed hand, and pulled the phone out. She flipped it open and her aunts voice came through before she raised it to her ear.

_ “I’m in the parking lot. Where are you?” _

“I’m towards the back,” Maggie said. “It’ll take me a few minutes to get through the entire thing.”

_ “Try not to take too long.” _

Her aunt hung up. Maggie sighed and closed the phone.

“She sounds like fun,” Alex said.

Maggie shrugged.

Her aunt didn’t have to take her in. Maggie was grateful to just have a place to sleep at night.

“I need to head out.”

“I’ll walk you to the parking lot,” Alex said.

“You don’t have to.”

“But I’m going to. I’m not stupid enough to really trust those boys left.”

“I will walk too,” Kara said.

“You have another show in fifteen minutes,” Alex told her.

Kara sighed, but nodded.

“I wish I could see the show again,” Maggie told her. “You were my favorite part.”

Kara lit up and sat up straighter.

They all left the trailer, and made their way through the camp. Kara headed into the trees, but Alex led Maggie along the tree line.

“How long are you all going to be in the area?” Maggie asked. She tugged the sleeve of her hoodie over her hand to hold the ice pack. “I tried to find the dates but couldn’t anywhere.”

“Just for the week,” Alex answered. “We’re packing up after we close tonight.”

Maggie’s stomach dropped. “Oh.”

“Yeah. That’s one of the things that sucks about this life. You aren’t in one place long enough to really make friends.”

“California was different?”

Alex laughed. Maggie smiled at the sound.

“The town I lived in wasn’t this small, but was still small. Knew all the kids in my school from kindergarten. Could walk or bike anywhere. We lived in the same house my father grew up in.”

“That sounds nice.”

Alex shrugged. “But I’m here now, and it isn’t really that bad.”

She smiled at Maggie.

A small, shy smile that made the back of Maggie’s neck heat up.

The trees started to thin. The sounds of the carnival grew louder.

“Do you have a cell phone?” Maggie asked.

Alex nodded.

Maggie dug into her pocket and pulled her phone out. She passed it to Alex.

Alex grinned. She quickly navigated through the phone and typed her number in. she closed the phone before handing it back.

They followed the treeline around a curve, and the parking lot opened up before them.

“That’s her,” Maggie said, pointing to her aunts car.

“Okay. Make sure you ice that nose, right?”

“I will.”

Alex nodded.

Maggie watched her for a few moments. Alex smiled.

A honk from the parking lot pulled Maggie’s attention.

“Right. Um, thank you, really,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

Maggie took a deep breath, then turned and walked to her aunt’s car. She looked back once, as she opened the door, to see Alex leaning against a tree and watching her.

“Took long enough,” her aunt huffed.

Maggie sighed. It wasn’t hard to sink into the passenger’s seat, the ancient cushion giving way too easily.

“What happened to your face?”

“I tripped, went face first into a branch.”

“Who is that girl?”

“She’s with the carnival, took me to get checked out.”

“They won’t be charging for that, will they?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Her aunt shifted the car into drive. Maggie looked at Alex through the window until she couldn’t see her anymore.

She held onto Al the entire drive.

She held onto Al that night, as she stared up at the ceiling over her bed.

She had spent the drive doing her best to block out the Christian rock her aunt played. She had resisted the urge to text Alex immediately. She had gone up to the guest room her aunt had made clear would not be personalized.

Her eyes were clearly bruised, the left more than the right. Her body ached. Her mind raced.

She turned her head to look at the clock.

Just shy of 3am.

Maggie groaned and sat up.

She looked around the room.

Her clothing was piled in a corner, the dresser full of her aunts stuff. Her small collection of books barely took up a quarter of a shelf on the bookcase.

Maggie’s jaw trembled.

Daniel and his crew would be searching for her in the morning.

But, she couldn’t stay in the house.

She slid out of the bed, settling Al sitting up against the pillow.

She went through her clothes, pulling on her jeans and her hoodie over her pajamas, then shoving the rest into her backpack. She slid the books in as much as she could.

She stared at the bag as it sat in the middle of the floor.

Everything she owned.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath.

Okay.

Okay.

She reached under the pillow, pulling out the picture she had hidden there.

Her seventh birthday.

Her, her father, her mother, all happy.

She had spent the past year and a half hoping there was a chance that could happen again.

She grabbed a sharpie from the desk in the corner and drew an X through the picture before turning it over.

_ Don’t look for me,  _ she write,  _ I know you don’t want to. _

She staged the picture on the pillow, then capped the sharpie and stuck it into her pocket.

She took a deep breath.

She was really going to do this.

She slung the bag over her shoulder, grabbed Al, and opened the window. She looked around the room one last time before climbing through.

* * *

The night was cool, but Alex was sweating as she loaded crate after crate into the truck.

Her muscles burned pleasantly.

Muscles she hadn’t even known she had two years ago.

She grinned at Brian as he walked up with a case of water bottles.

“Shouldn’t you be helping take down the ferris wheel?” she asked. She sat on the edge of the truck, feet dangling in the air below her.

Brian shrugged. “They’ve got it handled, didn’t need me.” He passed her a bottle. “Shame we aren’t staying here any longer,” he said. “This place seems nice.”

Alex took a long swig of water. The image of Maggie being pushed against a tree flashed through her mind. The growing bruise around Maggie’s eyes. The way she kept feeling for her phone, even though there was no way Maggie would text her at this time.

“It has its ups and downs,” she said.

“Any idea where we’re heading next?”

“Back up north is all I know, get the most out of them before the season is up.”

Brian nodded. He leaned against the truck.

“Can see a lot of stars out here,” he said.

Alex hummed, looking up.

Sunrise was mostly likely not far off, but the sky was still full of stars.

The sight of it brought Alex back to nights on the beach with her parents. She could only imagine how it was for almost everyone else there.

Aliens who had flown through the stars to reach Earth.

People who looked up at strange constellations, who looked up and could see where they had come from.

Some had shown her where their home system was.

Some had pieced together the constellations of their world and told her the stories that went with them.

Brian hadn’t figured his out yet. He had only landed on Earth a few months ago, had replaced Alex and Kara as the newcomer.

_ “Alex” _

She pulled the walkie talkie from her pocket without looking away from the sky.

“Go for Alex.”

_ “I have a situation in section 3N that requires your input.” _

Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Okay, J’onn. I’ll be right there.”

She clipped the walkie back onto her pocket and jumped down.

“You think you can take over here?” she asked Brian.

He nodded as he put the water bottles aside.

“Thanks.”

Alex quickly made her way across the lot, through the trees, and to the back yard. She found J’onn standing next to her trailer.

With Maggie.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Maggie glanced up at her, then looked down again.

“I found your friend trying to stow away in one of the trucks,” J’onn said.

Maggie’s hand flexed around the strap of her backpack.

“Maggie?” Alex asked.

Maggie stared at the ground. Her jaw flexed.

“She will be joining us for a trial period,” J’onn said.

Alex’s attention snapped to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maggie do the same.

“She will be staying with you and Kara until a better solution can be worked out if needed.”

Alex nodded. “Okay, alright.”

“Get her settled in, then have her help you finish loading.”

“Okay.”

J’onn turned and walked off. Alex turned to Maggie, who was looking at the ground again.

Alex took a deep breath before stepping up to the trailer door and pushing it open. “Come on.”

Maggie followed her in silence.

“Kara and I share a bed,” Alex said, walking to the back area. “But, I guess it’s big enough for three. Although, Kara is a starfish in her sleep.”

“I don’t need a bed, just blankets, a pillow, and a space on the floor.”

Alex spun to Maggie. “No way. If anyone gets the floor, it’s Kara.”

Maggie smiled weakly at her.

Alex chewed on her lip. “Is that all you have?”

Maggie’s smile fell as she nodded.

Alex nodded as well as she pulled out some of the drawers of the built in dresser. She rearranged her’s and Kara’s stuff to clear out a drawer. She turned to Maggie and gestured to the drawer with a flourish.

“Ta-da! Carnival magic.”

Maggie grinned at her.

Alex sat on the edge of the bed as Maggie started to unpack her bag directly into the drawer.

“So,” Maggie started. She paused as she thumbed through her books. “J’onn told me that, uh, most of the people here are not from...here.”

“That’s true in many ways, yes.”

Maggie glared at her for a moment.

“Aliens, Alex. He said most of you are aliens.”

“Also true, yes.”

“Are you...Is that even polite to ask?”

“In typical life, not really. Here, it’s often easier to assume alien. That being said, no, I’m one hundred percent human. Born and raised Californian.”

Maggie nodded. She shook out a shirt and refolded it.

“Kara, however…”

“I thought you were sisters?”

“We are. Adopted sisters.”

Maggie pulled out a bunch of socks and stuffed them between the neatly folded clothing and the books. She turned to Alex.

“So, the show? That was all because they’re aliens.”

“Yup.”

“Huh. Is Kara really weightless?”

Alex laughed as she took the empty backpack from Maggie and slid it between the bed and the dresser, with the bags she and Kara used when needed.

“Girl weighs a ton. It’s more that she can fly.”

“She can fly?”

“Yup.”

“Like Superman?”

“Exactly like Superman. They’re from the same planet.”

“Huh.”

“Yup.”

They stared at each other for a few moments.

“So, we do really have to go back to loading up the trucks,” Alex said.

“Right.”

“But, we can take the long way, and I can give you a tour. Brian is packing up what I was working on, and it wouldn’t hurt him to do it a little longer.”

Maggie grinned. “Alright.”

She set the stuffed bear she was holding on the bed, then took Alex’s hand when it was offered.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all like it.  
> Please, comment and leave kudos if you did :)


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